Automatically closing cap for collapsible tubes of cream



Oct,

13, 1953 v. LAMAGNA AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING CAP F'QR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES 0FCREAM Filed Aug. 4; 1949 FIG. I. I.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE2,655,293 AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING" CAP. FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES OF CREAMVincent Lamagna, Rutherford, N. J. Application August 4, 1949-,'s'e'ria1 No."10s;528' (Cl. 222-511) 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to closures for collapsible tubes containingtooth paste or similar material that is squeezed from the tube insmall'amounts from time to time; The invention relates more particularlyto a self-closing cap that is applied to a collapsible tube in place ofa regular cap, and it is a feature of the invention that the cap can beopened by pressure from the tooth brush, the closing being automaticwhen the tooth brush pressure is withdrawn.

It is an object of'the invention to provide an improved self-closing'cap for collapsible tubes and to provide a construction for such capsthat is economical to manufacture and that is particularly efficient andconvenient to use.

One feature of the invention'rela'tes to a slide which closes an outletof the cap, and to a construction whereby the "slide is supported in aguideway' open at both ends, but provided with concealed limit stops forpreventing the slide from traveling in the guideway beyond predeterminedlimits. Another'feature of the invention relates to the construction ofthe cap with automatic, spring-operated means for closing the cap; andto the construction whereby the spring is housed and retained in thecap, a construction of economical cost.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear orbe pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure l is a sectional view through the dis charge end of a collapsibletube with a, cap embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 through the capshown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional'view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

A cap I has a recess l2 at itslower endthr'eaded to receive a neck l3 ofa collapsible tube !4. Above the recess I2, there is a passage l6extending rearwardly and havin'g'a flattened discharge opening [7.

The cap 10 is made'in two parts comprising a of the discharge opening[1, serves as a guideway for aslide 30.

The slide 30 is made with a cross section to fit the undercut guideway26 as a running fit, and oneend of the slide 30 has an upwardlyextending flange 32 for operating the slide. When the slide 30 is in thefull line' position indicated in Figure 1, it covers and closes thedischarge open-' ing l'|';' and when the slide 30 is shifted in'to'thedotted line position, the discharge opening I! is uncovered.

The spacing of the operating flange 32 from the discharge opening it isso chosen that a tooth brush- 35 with its back pressed against the lipflange has its bristles in position to receive tooth paste 3? as it issqueezed from the discharge openmg The 'slidett can be operated by hand,but the provision of the flange 32, extending from" the slide 30 farenough to permit the slide to be operated by the tooth brush has theadvantage'of above the top surface of the slide far enough to preventthe sloping tooth brush from jumping over the flange whenpre'ssedagainst the flange to move the slide into position to uncover thedischarge opening.

It would not be convenient to hold the slide 30 open with the same'handas used to squeeze the tooth paste, nor would it be convenient to holdthe slide 30 open with the same hand in which the tooth brush is grippedThe feature by which the'brush can be used to keep'the slide open,therefore, has the advantage of making possible the use of anautomatically closing cover which does not increase the effort requiredto squeeze the-tooth paste from the tube." Many self-closing caps of theprior art have used the pressure of thepaste to open the cap, but itis'evident with such caps the force required to squeeze the paste from;

the tube is increased, and greatly increased when .the paste is stiffand a strong spring pressure is provided to close the cap against theresistance of the stiff paste.

The slide 30 is held in closed position, and restored to closed positionafter each operation,

5: 1b--a spring A!) housed in a socket betweenthe 38 along the length ofthe guideway 26 is limitedby the lug 42 which strikes against theabutment provided by the rearward wall of the socket-when the slide 39reaches the full line position shown in Figure 1, and which pushes thespring 40* against the forward wall of the spring socket when the slide38 is moved into the dotted line position shown in Figure 1.

The end of the slide 38' which moves back and forth across the dischargeopening I! preferably has a sharpened edge for cutting off the paste 3!without requiring the spring 40 to be excessively heavy. There is no endwall at the rearward end of the guide 25 and it is, therefore,impossible for the closing of the slide 38 to be prevented by anaccumulation of the paste between the end of the slide and the end wallof the groove or guideway in which the slide moves back and forth.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, but changes and modifications can be made, and some featuresof the invention can be used alone or in different combinations, withoutdepartingfrom the inven-, tion as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible tube cap having upper, and lower ends and comprisingtwo sections with recesses in confronting faces shaped and positioned toform a threaded socket for the end of the collapsible tube at the lowerend of the cap, a channel in the surface at the upper end of the capwith undercut side walls and serving as a guideway, each of said wallsbeing on a different section of the cap, said channel being open at bothends and also having a discharge opening through its bottom, a slidemovable back and forth along the guideway for covering and uncoveringthe discharge opening, an upwardly extending flange at one end of theslide at a distance from the other end of the slide equal to theheightof a tooth brush with which the cap is intended to be used and by whichthe slide can be moved with the tooth brush, said slide having anunobstructed top surface on the side of the flangepnearest to thedischarge opening so that a side of the tooth brush can be laid acrossthe slide and moved toward the flange end of the slide, a downwardlyextending lug under the slide, a socket in the cap below the slide inposition to receive the down-v wardly extending lug of the slide, saidlug being of a size to cooperate with the ends of the socket and therebylimit the stroke of the slide in both directions, a spring in the socketurging the slide towards closed, position, said spring having a loopintermediate its ends, and fastening means securing sections of the captogether, one of said fastening means extending through the socket andthrough the loop of the spring for maintaining the spring at a fixedlocation within the socket.

2. An automatic cap for a collapsible tube, said cap including twosections that flttogether to form a threaded opening on one end of thecap for receiving the end of the tube and, to form a channel at theother end of the cap toserve as a guideway, said channel having sidewalls one of which is on each of the respective sections, and both ofwhich sides are undercut, a slide movable along the guideway and acrossan outlet which opens through the bottom of the channel and whichcommunicates with the threaded opening of the cap through a passage insaid cap. which passage is substantially longer than the maximum widthof the outlet, said slide having side edges that extend into theundercut portions of the guideway and having a top surface that issubstantially flush with the top edges of the guideway, and a flangeextending upwardly from the slide toward one end thereof for asubstantial distance to prevent the tooth brush from jumping over theflange when pressed against the flange to move the slide into positionto uncover the discharge passage, the channel formed by the assembly ofsaid sections being open at both ends.

3. A collapsible tube cap having a threaded opening in its underside forscrewing on the neck of the tube and a guideway in its upper side,extending transversely across the cap and open at both ends, and havinga discharge opening extending longitudinally of the cap intermediate theends of the guideway, a slide at least as short as the guideway andconfined throughout its length between the-sides of the guideway, theslide being movable along the guidewa-y for covering and uncovering thedischarge opening, a flange extending upward from the top surface of theslide near one end of the slide that is remote from thedischarge'opening when the slide is in position to uncover the opening,said slide having an unobstructed top surface on the side of the flangenearest to the discharge opening so that a side of the tooth brush canbe laid across the slide at a slope that brings the upper ends of thebristles on one side of the brush adjacent to the top surface of theslide, and the brush can be moved into contact with the flange to shiftthe slide into position to uncover the opening, a socket under theslide, and spring means in the socket urging the slide toward theposition in which it covers the opening, an abutment in the socketlimiting movement of the slide to a position in which one end of theslide just clears the discharge opening, the flange extending above saidtop surface on the side of the flange toward said discharge opening farenough to provide a ledge for the tooth brush and to prevent the slopingtooth brush from jumping over the flange when pressed against the flangeto move the slide into position to uncover the discharge opening, and

the length of the slide from the flange to the end of the slide nearestto the discharge opening being equal to the height of the tooth brushwith which the cap is intended to be used.

4. A collapsible tube cap having a channel in a top face in the cap witha discharge opening in the bottom surfaceof the channel, said channelbeing open at both ends and having undercut side walls and serving as aguideway, a slide having longitudinal edges that flt in the undercutside walls of the channel, said slide being movable lengthwise alongthechannel into different positions to cover and uncover the dischargeopening, a flange extending upward from the top surface of the slidenear the end of the slide remote from the discharge opening, said slidehaving an unobstructed top surface on that side of the flange which isnearestto the discharge opening so that a side of a tooth brush can belaid across the slide and moved along the slide into contact 5 with theflange to shift the slide into position to uncover the opening, saidflange extending upwardly from the slide and having a straight surfaceabove the top of the guideway on the side of the flange which is towardthe discharge opening and for a distance suiiicient to prevent a toothbrush from jumping over the flange when pressed against the flange tomove the slide into position to uncover the discharge opening, said capalso having a recess in the bottom of the channel under the slide, saidrecess having abutment surfaces at its opposite ends, a lug on thebottom of the slide projecting downward into the recess and located inposition on the slide to be stopped by the end faces of the recess tolimit movement of the slide in both directions lengthwise of thechannel.

VINCENT LAMAGNA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberMaves Mar. 25, 1952

